USPTO signs patent deals with Japan and Korean IP offices

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has signed deals with both the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) to better improve patent searches at the three agencies.

The memorandum of cooperation (MOC) was signed between the USPTO and JPO on May 21 and between the USPTO and KIPO on May 20.

All three parties signed the deals during the IP5 Heads of Office Meeting, which was taking place in Suzhou, China from May 20 to 22.

Under the deals, the USPTO will work with both countries on the Collaboration Search Pilot (CSP) programme.

The programme is intended to help both offices and patent applicants search for prior art.

Michelle Lee, director of the USPTO, said: “This memorandum highlights how important the cooperative relationship between the USPTO and the JPO and KIPO is.

“This collaborative search pilot programme will enable us to provide applicants with the best and most relevant prior art,” she added.

The CSP will be take effect on September 1.

Neither KIPO nor the JPO had responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.